Thursday, March 27, 2008

Losing weight is not just about cutting calories and exercising like crazy. Losing weight requires a permanent lifestyle change. It is not realistic to think that while you are dieting, you eat exactly what you should and exercise 5 days a week, then after reaching your goal completely turn your back on what got you to your goal in the first place.

Establishing a healthy view on your lifestyle and making permanent changes will set you up for success for a lifetime!

Looking back at my own weight loss, certain things I did really helped me to meet my goals. Below, I have listed the techniques that helped me in the past to lose weight and maintain it successfully. Let’s take a look at them and see if any of them can help you on your own road to health and fitness.

1. Start with a food diary. Record what you eat, what you are doing while you eat, and how you felt when you ate it. Get a solid understanding of your eating habits and what triggers your eating.

2. Set attainable goals. Do not expect yourself to lose 50 pounds in a month. This is not healthy, or possible! Make them clear, concise, and reachable.

3. When hunger hits, wait 10 minutes before eating. Cravings do tend to pass, so give it some time and see if this one will, too.

4. Get enough sleep. When we are tired, our defenses are down. This makes it easier to grab a couple cookies or throw caution to the wind. Get the quality sleep that you need.

5. Avoid sugar. The more you eat, the more you crave. It is that simple.

6. Drink 6-8 glasses of water each day. Water helps to cut down on water retention and, if taken before meals, dulls the appetite and makes you feel full.

7. Do not shop when you are hungry. This is a deadly time to shop, and when impulse buys are at their peak!

8. Keep plenty of crunchy, healthy foods around. Raw veggies, almonds, or fat-free popcorn can really help in a pinch where you must eat something!

9. Lose the weight for yourself. Do it for your health and for your satisfaction. If you do it for someone else, chances are you will fail.

10. Make the kitchen off-limits in between meals. This will help cut down on "grazing".

11. Focus on what you are eating. Enjoy each bite and experience your food. This helps to focus your brain on the fact that you are eating, which will help you to avoid eating too much.

12. Substitute an activity for eating. Call a friend, read a book, take a walk. Anything but eating when you should not!

13. NEVER skip meals. When you skip meals, your metabolism slows down. The next time you eat, chances are that you will eat too much and binge.

14. Exercise. There’s just no way around it! Try to get in at least four days of cardio and strength training.

I hope you found these tips as helpful. Remember that weight loss and healthy living is not something you do temporarily. It truly is a decision you make to carry on for the rest of your life!

Colleen is a health and fitness enthusiast who loves to pass on the latest information on health and wellness. Sign up for your free e-newsletter filled with cutting-edge information on health, nutrition, weight loss, and fitness. For your free e-newsletter, visit HealthyRevelations.com

The real cause of autism is unknown. Hence, any treatment linked to diet for autism should be confirmed with a professional first.

a) The Casein & Gluten - Free Diet

Casein & Gluten are commonly found in dairy, barley, oat, rye & wheat products. Experts suggest this diet because autistic people are unable to digest these proteins. When taken, these proteins hang around in the body just to activate neurotransmitter receptors inside the brain just as opiate drugs would do. Elimination of foods containing casein & gluten from diet will definitely reduce the cause of autism. However, such a diet is very restrictive & extremely challenging to follow. One is not allowed to eat bread or dairy products.

b) Vitamins & Supplements

Autism can also be treated via providing vitamins & supplements. Vitamins B complex is the most commonly used vitamin as it helps central nervous system to create enzymes & assists in functioning. The vitamin also works towards maintaining the nervous system. This vitamin has also proved to improve eye contact, behavior & attention for some people with autism. Vitamin C is also related to brain functioning. Certain reports have found that vitamin C supplements improve autism symptoms. Children taking vitamin C supplements are known to experience improvement in behavior, communication attempts & eye contact.

c) Cod liver oil

These contain high levels of vitamins A and D. These vitamins are known to improve eye contact and behavior in certain autistic cases. Fish oils have also been connected to improve brain functioning.

There are other autism diet recommendation where cutting down on yeast & sugars is suggested. One is asked to consume a good number of fresh fruits & vegetables.

Diet rich in amino acids, calcium, magnesium & zinc are also prescribed to the child. Most of these supplements are available in chewable form with a high dose of sugar. Experts also suggest enzymes supplements to help overcoming symptoms of autism.

Berries are supposed to be extremely nutritious & rich in antioxidants. You can give your child a high dose of blueberries, raspberries & strawberries. Try to include more servings of vegetables in their diet. Go or vegetables such as sweet red pepper, carrot & broccoli. You need to understand that kids are kids & they have their individual task irrespective of whether they have autism or not.

You should keep in mind their love for specific food type & try not to be too strict with them.

It is important to fix up a diet for your child with autism. However, it is important to contact a health care professional prior to going for any sort of dietary change. This will give you an idea of what's good for your child & what's not.

Don’t shirk away from asking a lot of questions to your doctor. Try to monitor your child’s progress on a regular basis.

The sad fact today is there is a rising trend of children with cholesterol problem, we may not like it, but we have to face this fact. According to some studies, many children are considered in the group of high risk premature coronary heart disease and some of them are suffering from high cholesterol at a much younger age then before. As a guide, health care professional do not check children's cholesterol levels routinely.

Cholesterol build up in the arteries can lead to either heart attack, stroke or both, depending on where the arteries are in the body. The American Heart Association states that there is research finding to support cholesterol buildup starts in early childhood.

The perfect time to introduce and intervene with healthy life style changes are childhood. These will provide healthier habits for the rest of their life.

Apparently, children who are in the high risk group are those who have family history of high cholesterol or heart disease and who are overweight.

The American Heart Association has a scientific position that, "elevated cholesterol levels early in life may play a role in the development of adult atherosclerosis and that lowering levels in children and adolescents may be beneficial".

Children absorb their dietary cholesterol from food such as poultry, red meat, egg yolks, seafood and full cream dairy products like milk, cheese and ice cream

There are contributing factors when it comes to kids and cholesterol risk:

If their diet contain lots of fats, especially so for saturated fats. Example are baked products and snacks.

A family history of parents who have high LDL cholesterol or low HDL cholesterol

Children who are obese and lack active exercise.

- Children or teens who smokes, have high blood pressure or type 1 diabetes.

Should you have a child that is active, has a healthy diet that doesn't consist of eating an abundance of baked goods or snack items, and does not have a parental history of risky cholesterol levels and is not overweight; than you have little to worry about regarding cholesterol levels and early heart disease.

Kids who are 2 years and above who are exposed to known risk factors should be screened for blood cholesterol levels. The following are the risks:

Has at least one parent with a total cholesterol blood level of 240 mg/dL or higher

Has a parent or grandparent with a history of early heart disease (before age 55)

If there is any family history that is "unknown"

The child is overweight or is clinically obese

A simple blood test can determine what your child's cholesterol levels are. The acceptable total cholesterol level for children ages 2 - 19 are less than 170 mg/dL. Borderline total cholesterol levels are from 170 - 199 mg/dL. High levels are those that are 200 mg/dL or higher.

I wrote a book on how I've lower my high cholesterol level from 301 to normal in 60 days.. This is done without any medications. The book is "How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally". You can buy it at my site How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally

Unless you're a vegetarian, most of the foods that you're eating are probably high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and calories. Unknown to you, you may have already exceeded your daily cholesterol intake if you are not careful with your diet.

Unknown to us, foods that are known to be nutritious may also have its setbacks. Did you know that while dairy products like milk and cheese are good sources of calcium, they also have a lot of cholesterol?

- Dairy Products

Some of the dairy products that are actually foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats. These dairy products would include milk, cheese, ice cream, and yogurt. However, these also foods also contain other nutrients necessary for a balanced diet. Fortunately, there are low fat and nonfat dairy products available for people who do not want the extra cholesterol.

You have the option of selecting cheeses that are fat free, low fat, part skim, or reduced fat. Basically, choose cheese that has 3 grams or less of fat per ounce. If you want soft cheeses, try getting the low fat (one percent) or nonfat cottage cheese, farmer cheese, or light ricotta or part skim. Additionally, watch out for cheese that have too much sodium in them.

Try skim or one percent milk instead of whole or two percent milk. The latter are just as nutritious and rich in calcium as whole milk, but with less fat and cholesterol.

- Eggs

The white in the egg is low in cholesterol. It is the yolk, which contains around 213 milligrams of dietary cholesterol. If you cannot avoid eating egg yolks, then at least limit your intake to two per week. The limit extends to the yolks in baked and processed goods. Before buying or eating these types of food, check their labels and see how much cholesterol it has or if it uses whole eggs.

As mentioned, egg whites have no cholesterol in them. You can even use two egg whites to substitute one whole egg.

- Fats and Oils

You can tell that fats and oils are high in cholesterol and calories from their names alone. But that does not mean that they are completely bad for your health. With substitutes and a limit to the total fats and oil intake, you can continue to enjoy your meals.

Vegetable oils can be used instead of those with unsaturated fats. Choose canola, sunflower, corn, soybean, olive, sesame, peanut, and safflower oils instead. For margarine, go for the soft tub or the liquid kind. Salad dressings and mayonnaise also come in light or nonfat kinds.

You may also want to tone down your use of butter, fatback, lard, and solid shortenings because these are high in fat and cholesterol.

Even though most of what we eat are foods high in cholesterol, it does not necessarily mean that we have to drastically change our diet. We can continue to enjoy our meals but we do have to be careful and vigilant of what we take in. The labels on the containers of the food you buy are there for a reason. Check them and see if you are going to be eating too much calories, fat, or cholesterol. You do not have to avoid them, but you can eat them in moderation.